1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to supports. More particularly, the invention relates to supports for containers such as buckets and pails.
2. Background of the Invention
A wide variety of supports have been developed for containers used in a variety of situations. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,837,305 to Andren and 4,962,906 to Fatool et al are directed to supports for holding cans and pails on sloping surfaces such as roofs and ladder structures. U.S. Pat. No. 4,505,408 to Sagol is directed to a set of collapsible legs for elevating a beverage container so as to allow a cup to be placed below the container spigot while at the same time avoiding having to place the beverage container at the edge of a table or other supporting surface thereby reducing the possibility of accidental displacement of the container and/or spillage of its contents onto a floor or patio surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,398,690 to Rutledge discloses a tripod supported platform with retainers for holding a paint bucket or a paint roller tray to the platform. Sumen et al, U.S. Pat. No. 2,683,014, discloses a utility pail holder that consists of a band that circumscribes the outer wall of the pail and has depending arms that hook over the bottom lip of the pail with pivoting feet attached to the depending arms. The feet require individual and direct manual intervention in raising or lowering each of them into position.
The ubiquitous plastic pail commonly associated with wall joint compounds, food packaging, paints, and so forth, has spawned a growing variety of secondary uses for these containers, including use as tool caddies, to carry fishing tackle, as wash buckets, etc. However, because these containers are typically set on the floor, there is a considerable amount of bending on the part of the user in placing items into or taking them out of or otherwise using the pail. As a consequence, there is a definite need to place the container on a support that reduces the bending effort and thereby makes it easier to use. There is also a need for a support that is easy to attach and detach from the container, easy to move from place to place when attached to the container, and easy to position on the supporting surface.